Bicyclists have described the ride on the two-lane route as scenic but dicey because they may be forced onto gravel shoulders to avoid fast-moving cars. The path can also be risky for motorists who drive into the opposing lane to get around caravans of bicyclists.

The Ventura County Transportation Commission approved the funding of almost $1.4 million to build the lanes on half of a 3-mile section running between Lake Sherwood and Hidden Valley. That means construction costs for the initial phase are fully funded once the local match of $181,000 is added from a county road fund.

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County Transportation Director Dave Fleisch said construction could start in 18 to 24 months on the stretch of road running west from Lake Sherwood to a halfway point between two 90-degree turns in the road.

He said the project, which has an estimated cost of $1.8 million for design and construction, could be completed by 2020. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors has already approved funding for the design portion of the project.

Fleisch said lanes can be added to the other half of the 3-mile route when funding becomes available. The design work for that phase is already underway, he said.

Dr. Miryam Liberman, of Newbury Park, was the only member of the public to comment on the project at the meeting. She described the ride as terrifying.

"I hope to see bike lanes on Potrero before I die to make it safe for me and other people," she told the commission at its meeting in Camarillo.

During a brief interview, the internist said she was grateful even if bike lanes were added to only half the route now.

"Anything, anything," said Liberman, 64, who commutes on an electric bicycle to her office in Westlake Village.

The 3-mile section of Potrero from Lake Sherwood to Hidden Valley is relatively flat, and the bike lanes can be built on the shoulders. The remaining section of Potrero that runs west to CSU Channel Islands has no shoulders and passes through hilly terrain, so no lanes are planned there.